TomTom has updated its iPhone app, adding a much requested traffic updates and Google searches for local services.

TomTom for iPhone has been on sale since the summer of 2009, but the new release, version 1.3, is the first to make use of the handset's pinch-to-zoom gesture, allowing users to zero in on map features and the pull right back without having to tap buttons or drag sliders.

But the key feature is Traffic HD support, though using the service isn't free: punters pay 59p, £5, £11.50 or £38 to get the traffic data for, respectively, a day, a month, a quarter or a year.

We suspect the 59p for a day's use will be popular for the more occasional traveller, and it's good to see TomTom providing a cheap package for ad hoc use rather than forcing an annual subscription on everyone, whether they need it or not.

TomTom for iPhone: now with Traffic HD support and Google search

Still, the app's not cheap. It's £55, though that's a fiver less than it was at launch. That's for the UK and Ireland version - other territories are also available, separately and at different prices.

For a safer drive, the TomTom app now calculates local sunrise and sunset times to automatically adjust the screen brightness while driving, the firm added.

Finally, TomTom for iPhone now taps into Google to call up local shops and services, should you need to call on a cobbler in Kentish Town while passing through.